Neutron detection is the effective detection of neutrons entering a detector instrument that receives and measures an incoming neutron flux. Two key aspects to effective neutron detection are its hardware and software. Detection hardware refers to the kind of neutron detector used and the electronics used for detection. Detection software consists of analysis tools that perform analysis tasks to measure the number and energies of neutrons striking the detector.
One approach to neutron imaging uses scintillator arrays, which rely on neutrons' elastic scattering properties with protons. Neutrons collide with the nucleus of atoms in the scintillator, transferring energy to create a proton recoil and emit light, which is then detected by photomultiplier tubes. The scattered neutron speed is measured with the time-of-flight information between two sets of scintillator arrays using arrival timing measurements.
Important applications of neutron imagers are for space missions and for ground-based or air-based radioactivity monitors. However, previous neutron imagers that have used proportional counters or scintillators connected to photomultiplier tubes are bulky and power-consuming. These characteristics make these systems unsuitable for space missions, small unmanned aircraft, and hand-held devices. In addition, these systems are highly sensitive to many types of radiations, making them unsuitable for use in environments with high background radiation levels.
Diamond detectors are another approach to neutron detection. Instead of the proton-neutron scatterings used by scintillators, diamond detectors rely on carbon-neutron scatterings. Diamond detectors have a fast response time, in the order of sub-nanoseconds (ns). They are also small in size. These properties make diamond detectors an attractive choice for imaging fast neutrons in applications with space, power, and mass constraints. With their additional characteristic of the radiation hardness of the detection material, diamond detectors can be ideal for highly radioactive environments such as deep space and nuclear reactor sites.